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Iowa Federation of Labor

Labor Notes

APWU Officers Oath of Office

I, having been duly elected to the office in the ____ of the APWU, AFL-CIO do solemnly pledge to uphold the Constitution and Bylaws of the APWU AFL-CIO, and the (state'Local). I further pledge to perform the duties of my office to the best of my ability. I promise that at the conclusion of my term in office, I will turn over to my successor all books, papers, records and documents that are the property of the APWU. Last, but not least, I promise to purchase only union made aticles whenever available. Failure to perform any of the above will mark me as an indivisual devoid of honor and destitute of integrety.

SHOP UNION - BUY UNION - BE UNION

Why ShopUnionMade?

It Matters How You Shop!

Personal consumer spending on everyday items like clothes, toothpaste, food, etc. accounts for 68 percent of all the wealth created annually in the United States. (That’s $6.8 trillion a year!)Source: U.S. Department of the Census

Every Job Counts (maybe more than you think)!

When a worker is hired, nearly five additional jobs are created somewhere else in the economy. And every time someone is laid off in the U.S., nearly five more people lose their jobs.Wages buy groceries, gasoline, clothing and other goods and services that keep other people working. When companies hire, they order more supplies and raw materials, creating additional jobs for vendors. When companies downsize and lay off, spending and wages are slashed and jobs vanish throughout the economy.It’s Economics 101: The fight for good jobs is everyone’s fight.

When You Shop, “Vote with Your Dollars” for Good Jobs.

It is up to you, alone. Your shopping dollars can support products made by people earning good pay and benefits. Or your dollars can support products made by -- who knows? Political prisoners in China? Child laborers in Haiti? Terrorized factory workers in a Mexican border town?It really is simple: Buy union and take responsibility for what your dollars do.“Support Good Jobs. Shop Union!”

Look at the Price of Unjust, Unfair Trade

At $100 a minute, you would need 9,151 years to pay off the current U.S. trade deficit. The U.S. owes foreign nations a whopping $481,000,000,000 (That’s $481 billion!)That’s the price of importing more than we export; of outsourcing to exploit cheap repressed labor overseas; of trade deals that ignore worker rights and the environment.That’s why we say: “Shop Union! Invest in good jobs for your community.”[Do the math: 1,440 minutes/day = 525,600 minutes/year. 525,600 min/yr x $100/min. = $52.56 million/yr. Dividing $481,000,000,000 by $52,560,000/year = 9,151 years.]

Union Jobs = Good Jobs = Strong Communities

The average union worker earns $760 a week, compared to $599 a week for non-union workers in the same occupations. That 27 percent difference in wages and salaries means more dignity and independence for working families. It also means more wages spent within the community, a stronger tax base and less drain on social services. “Support Good Jobs. Shop Union!”Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Union Jobs are “Ladder Up” for Poorest Workers

Unions provide a sure path out of poverty for the poorest workers. African Americans earn 35 percent more in wages and salaries when they unionize ($665 a week, compared to $491 a week for those without a union). Latino and Latina union members earn a whopping 51 percent more ($632 a week versus $419 a week) and wages for women of all races were 33 higher for union members ($696 a week compared to $522 a week).“Support Good Jobs. Shop Union!”Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unions Key to Health Care and Secure Retirement

Did you know 73 percent of union workers enjoy medical care benefits, compared with only 51 percent of nonunion workers? And 79 percent of union workers are covered by a pension plan versus only 44 percent of nonunion workers.The quality of benefits is also far higher for union-represented employees. For example, 70 percent of union workers have defined-benefit pension plans (which provide guaranteed minimum benefit payments) compared to 16 percent of nonunion employees.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Shopping Union Promotes Stable, Full-time Jobs

Fully 50 percent of union employees have worked at least 10 years for the same employer, compared to only 22 percent of nonunion employees. Not only are union members more satisfied with their jobs, pay and benefits; they also have contracts with grievance procedures to protect against unjust firings. (Nonunion workers are "employees at will" who can be fired at any time for any reason—or for no reason.)Full-time workers are also twice as likely to be represented by a union. Involuntary part-time employment (common among non-union workers) is a major cause of poverty.“Support Good Jobs. Shop Union!”Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

We have made every effort to ensure that all products and services displayed on this web site are produced or provided by workers employed under valid union contracts. However, please be aware: many companies today produce similar or identical-looking goods and services in unionized and non-unionized facilities, and frequently shift work between these facilities without notice.Please notify us if you have knowledge that any good or service listed on this web site that is not union-made. We will promptly investigate all such reports and remove any good or service found not to be union-made.Also please notify us if a good or service listed here is being produced or provided where a lock-out or legally sanctioned strike is in effect or at a plant or company that is the subject of an official boycott. We will promptly investigate all such reports and, if warranted, attach a ‘Do Not Patronize’ notice to the listing.